Pilpul

Akiba Kiwelowicz Rubinstein – Richard Teichmann
Match game 4; Vienna, May 7, 1908
Queen’s Gambit Declined D61

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Nbd7 5. e3 Be7 6. Nf3 0-0 7. Qc2 b6. Theoretically speaking, the best continuation is 7. ... c5 8. Rd1 Qa5 as played (with colours reversed) in the game Teichmann – A. K. Rubinstein, Ostend 1907. 8. cxd5 exd5 9. Bd3 Bb7 10. 0-0-0 c5 11. h4 c4. Teichmann’s aiming to improve on 11. ... Rc8 12. Kb1 Re8 13. dxc5 Rxc5 14. Nd4 Ne4? 15. Bxe4 dxe4 16. Ndb5! Ba6 17. Qa4! Bxb5 18. Nxb5 with an imposing position for White, A. K. Rubinstein – Teichmann, Karlsbad 1907. Deserving consideration is also 11. ... cxd4 followed by ... Ra8-c8, ... a7-a6 and ... b6-b5 (Kmoch’s analysis). 12. Bf5 Re8. Karl Schlechter recommended, quite rightly, the immediate ... a7-a6, to be followed as soon as possible by ... b7-b5 and ... b5-b4. 13. Bxf6 Nxf6 14. g4 Bd6 15. g5 Ne4 16. h5. White’s attack is simply overwhelming. 16. ... Qe7. If 16. ... Nxg5 then 17. Nxg5 Qxg5 18. Bxh7+ Kf8 (on 18. ... Kh8 19. h6 is much the same) 19. h6 gxh6 20. Rdg1 with devastating effect (Kmoch’s analysis). 17. Rdg1 a6. Black is seriously late...

18. Bxh7+! White sacrifices his Bishop to destroy Black’s Castle. 18. ... Kxh7 19. g6+! Kg8. Not 19. ... fxg6? 20. Nxe4 dxe4 21. Ng5+ Kh6 (or 21. ... Kg8 22. Qxc4+ and wins) 22. Nf7+! Qxf7 23. hxg6+ and mate next move. 20. Nxe4 dxe4 21. h6! f6. No better is 21. ... fxg6 22. Nh4! g5 23. h7+ Kf7 24. Nf5 and Black can resign. 22. hxg7 exf3 23. Rh8+ Kxg7 24. Rh7+ Kg8 25. Qf5! White mercilessly threatens everything! 25. ... c3 26. Rxe7 1 : 0.

Akiba Kiwelowicz Rubinstein, a lithograph portrait from David Friedmann’s portfolio: Köpfe berhümter Schachmeister. Copyright © 1999 Miriam Friedman Morris.

Aesthetics and Ethics

Akiba Kiwelowicz Rubinstein – Karel Hromádka
Internationales Schachmeister-Turnier; Mährisch-Ostrau, July 5, 1923
King’s Gambit Declined C30

1. e4 e5 2. f4 Bc5 3. Nf3 d6 4. Nc3 Nf6 5. Bc4 Nc6 6. d3 Bg4 7. h3 Bxf3 8. Qxf3 Nd4 9. Qg3 Qe7. The risky 9. ... Nxc2+ 10. Kd1 Nxa1 11. Qxg7 Kd7 12. fxe5 dxe5 13. Rf1 gives White dangerous attacking possibilities, Chigorin – Pillsbury, Hastings 1895. Another try is instead 9. ... exf4!? (Tartakower) 10. Qxg7 Rf8 11. Kd1 Qe7 with unclear consequences. 10. fxe5 dxe5 11. Kd1 c6 12. a4! Rg8. For 12. ... Nh5 13. Qg4 g6 14. Rf1 see Mieses - Leonhardt, London 1905, match game 4. 13. Rf1 h6. No better is 13. ... 0-0-0 14. Ne2 Kb8 15. Nxd4 Bxd4 16. c3 Bb6 17. Kc2 and White eventually won, Hromádka – Prokeš, Prague 1927. 14. Ne2 0-0-0. The simpler 14. ... Nxe2 15. Kxe2 0-0-0 16. c3 has at least the merit of saving time. 15. Nxd4 Bxd4 16. c3! Bb6 17. a5! Bc7 18. Be3 Kb8 19. Kc2! “With all points protected and free play on both flanks, White has a clear advantage”, International Master Craig William Pritchett wrote in his book “Chess Secrets: Great Chess Romantics”, London, Everyman Chess, 2013, p. 110. 19. ... Ka8 20. Rf3! Nd5. A tricky if not desperate countermeasure. 21. Bg1! Rubinstein refuses the gift and inexorably proceeds to his cathartic vision. 21. ... Nf4. “21. ... Nf6! keeps the f-file closed”, says Jan van Reek. This may be true, but after 22. Qf2 Bb8 23. Rf5 White retains his powerful bind. 22. Qf2 Bb8 23. g3! Nxh3 24. Rxf7 Qd6. There is no choice, for after 24. ... Nxf2 25. Rxe7 Black is left with a hopeless endgame.

25. Qb6!! White’s grand attack is crowned by a marvelous sacrifice of the Queen! 25. ... Rd7. Her Majesty is taboo: 25. ... axb6 26. axb6+ Ba7 27. Rxa7+ Kb8 28. Rfxb7+ Kc8 29. Bc5 with mate in short order. 26. Bc5! Rxf7. 26. ... axb6 is not yet possible on account of 27. axb6+ Ba7 28. Rxa7+ Kb8 29. Bxd6+ Rxd6 30. Rfxb7+ Kc8 31. Ba6 and mate next move. 27. Bxd6 Rf2+ 28. Qxf2! Nxf2 29. Bc5 1 : 0. For this magnificent game Akiba Kiwelowicz was awarded the first brilliancy prize.

Anthropophobia

Gersz Salwe – Akiba Kiwelowicz Rubinstein
Łódź, March 26, 1903
Giuoco Piano C50

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. Nc3 d6 5. d3 Nf6 6. 0-0 Bg4 7. Be3 Bb6 8. Kh1!? Perhaps this move is not a bad one, but it looks somewhat pointless. 8. Nd5 is by far the most usual. 8. ... Qd7! More straightforward than 8. ... Ne7 as in the game Schwarz – von Minckwitz, Frankfurt 1878, match game 4. 9. a3!? Nd4! 10. Rb1? Too slow in timing! 10. ... h5! 11. Bxd4 Bxd4 12. Ne2? A very bad move. White ought to have played 12. Nd5. 12. ... Bxf3 13. gxf3 Qh3 14. Nxd4? This is a bad mistake, leading to an immediate catastrophe. But in any case the game was virtually lost, since after 14. Ng1 Qh4 Black’s position is imposing.

14. ... Ng4! 0 : 1.